Coal-loading apparatus.



H. J. GILMOR'E.V

GOAL LOADING APPARATUS.

APPLIGATION Hman Nov. 15, 1910.

1,002,984, Patented Sept. 12,1911.

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WTNESSES H. J. GILMORE. GOAL LOADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED Nov.15, 1910.

1,002,984. Patented sept. 12,1911.

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WITNESSES INVENTOR f MWdJzZfM/le fiom l COLUIIBIA PLANOGRAPM c0.,wASH|NuTUN. D, C.

H. J. GILMORE.

GOAL LOADING APPARATUS.

PPLIUATION Hum nov.15, 1910.

l 1,002,984. Patented Sept. 12, 1911.

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WITNESSES NVENTOR TNTTFM STATE@ FATFNT OFFTCF.

HOWARD J'. GILMORE, 0F CARTERVILLE, MISSOUR, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO MOSES LEON, OF CARTERVILLE, MISSOURI.

COAL-LOADING APPARATUS.

incassa.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 12, 1911.

Application filed November 15, 1910. Serial No. 592,421.

.To all whom it may concer/z:

Be it known that T, HOWARD J. GILMORE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Carterville, in the county of Jasper and State of Missouri,l have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coal- Loading Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to coal loading apparatus, and one of the principal objects of the invention is to provide reliable and efficient means for discharging a quantity of coal into a tender of a locomotive traveling at ordinary speed as it passes a coaling station.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of comparatively simple construction, which will quickly discharge coal into the tender of a locomotive and immediately recede to a position out of the path of the cars in a train carried by the locomotive, said apparatus being designed to discharge the coal into the tender without requiring the stoppage of the train.

These and other objects may be attained by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is an end elevation of a coaling station showing my apparatus in position to discharge coal into a tender of a locomotive, and latter being shown in section and the arch bars or supporting frame being broken away at the opposite sides thereof. F ig. 2 is a side elevation of the coaling station. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the discharging vessel for the coal, .certain parts being shown in elevation, and the bottom members of the vessel being shown closed. Fig. A is a similar view of the vessel showing the bottom members opened in position for dumping the coal into the tender. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of a sliding fork which holds the vessel in elevated position until said fork is withdrawn by suitable means on the tender of the locomotive to drop the vessel and discharge its contents. Fig. 6 is a detail plan view of a portion of one side of the vessel showing a key hole slot therein to permit bottom members of the vessel to drop down to discharge the contents of the vessel and to be returned to their initial position after each operation. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of the lower end of the supporting rod for the vessel. Fig. 8 is a detail perspecping lever adjustably connected to the tender.

Referring to the drawings the numeral 1 designates the arched bars forming the frame of the coaling station, said arched bars being connected by suitable braces or bars 2 and cross braces 3. This structure is built over the track rails f1 and is of a suitable height to permit a train of oars to pass through the same without interference. A supporting rod 5 extends through they top of the arch and at its upper end said rod is provided with a head 6. A spiral spring 7 surrounds the upper end of the rod 5, said spring being confined within a suitable cap or cover 8. The rod 5 eX- tends through a cross bar 9 secured to the arch and said rod 5 is provided with a reduced portion 10 near its lower end and terminates in a flattened portion 11 provided with a perforation 12. A loop or clevis 13 is connected to the flattened end 11.

The bale 1li is supported by the clevis 18 on the rod 5. The vessel 15 is preferably flared at its lower end and is supported within a metal ring 16 connected to bars 17 which are supported within the arch of the coaling station. The bottom members 18 of the coaling vessel are pivoted at 19 inside the vessel 15 and the inner ends 20 of the bottom members 18 when closed together, dispose the members 18 in a downwardly inclined position, as shown more clearly in Fig. 3. The bottom members 18 are held in closed position by means of spring bolts 21 which are pivoted at their inner kends 22 to the lower sides of the bottom members 18. The outer ends of the bolts 21 are reduced in size as at 23 and spiral springs 524- surround the bolts 21, the tension of said springs being exerted to close the bottom members 18 after the coal has been discharged from the vessel 15. The bolts 2l extend through key hole slots in the sides of the vessel 15. said key hole slots having a reduced portion 25 and an l enlarged portion 26. When the ends 23 of the bolts 21 are in their uppermost positions, the shoulders on the bolts 21 engage the inner wall of the reduced portion 25 of the key hole slots, and thus hold the bottom members 18 in closed positions to support t-he coal within the vessel 15.

Levers 27 are pivoted at 28 to brackets 29 at opposite sides of the vessel 15. The

levers 27 comprise the two diverging mem' bers 30 and 31, each having an outwardly curved upper end 32 and 33. A foot 34 is formed on the lower end of each of the levers 27. The members 30 and 31 of the levers 27 are connected together by means of rods 35, as shown more clearly in Fig. 8.l Spiral springs 36 normally hold the feet 34 againstthe outer sides of the vessel 15 and in contact with the reduced outer ends 23 of the bolts 21.

Mounted on the cross bar 9 is a forked lever 37 provided with a recess 38 and op- -positely disposed members 39 which engage the reduced portion 10 of the supporting rod 5y for holding the vessel 15 in elevated position out of the way' of the moving train. The lever 37 is provided with elongated slots 40, through which bolts 41 pass to permit the lever 37 to slide inward and outward. Pivotally connected at 42 to the lever 37 is an operating rod 43, the upper -end of which is provided with an arm 44 the under sides of the bolts 21. lThe tension of the springs 49 is exerted to push the bolts 21 upward within the reduced portions 25 of the key hole slots. A tender 50 of the locomotive is provided with a backwardly inclined plate 51 to prevent the overflow of coal dumped into the tender from the vessel 15. Mounted` along one side of the tender 50 is a rod 52 connected by l brackets 53v to said tender. The front end 54 of the rod 52 projects some distance in front of the tender and securedto said' end by means of an adjustable collar 55 is a trip lever 56, said lever being pivoted upon a bolt 57 which serves to adjust the collar 55 upon the rod 52. A suitable notched rack 58 is secured to the tender and the lever 56 may be adjusted in any of the notches 59 for a purpose which will presently appear.

The operation of my invention may be briefly described as follows: The vessel 15 being charged with coal is suspended in the position shown in Fig. 1 by means of the forked lever 37 engaging the reduced portion 10 of the supporting rod 5. The {ireman on the locomotive when he desires to have coal discharged in the tender 50 adjusts the position of the trip lever 56 in any of the notches 59, depending upon thc speed at which the locomotive is traveling.

For instance if the locomotive is traveling rapidly the lever 56 is adjusted outwardly so as to discharge the coal sooner than if the train was running more slowly when the lever 56 would be adjusted inwardly to properly time the discharge of the coal and the return of the vessel to its uppermost position out of the way of the coaches in the train. When the lever 56 comes into contact with the cranked portion 46 of the operating rod 43, the forked lever 37 is drawn outward and the weight of the coal in the vessel 15 carries said vessel down against the tension of the spring 7. As the vessel 15 descends the members 30 of the levers 27 are engaged by the ring 16 which throws the upper ends of said levers inward, while the feet 34 are moved slightly downward to push the bolts 21 into alinement with the enlarged portions 26 of the key hole slots when the weight of the coal on the bottom members 18 will throw the latter downward to the position shown in Fig. 4. Immediately after the coal is discharged the spring 7 raises the vessel 15 to its uppermost position out of the way of the cars. The springs 36 throw the upper ends of the levers 27 outwardly and bolts 48 push upward on the bolts 21 to close the bottom members 18 to the position shown in Fig. 3, ready for the discharge of another load of coal when placed in the vessel 15.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that my invention is of comparatively simple construction, will operate automatically to discharge coal when tripped by a moving tender and will instantly ascend out of the way of a moving train. It will also be obvious that by setting the trip lever 56 upon the rod 54 the timing of the discharge of the vessel 15 may be accomplished, depending upon the rate of speed of the traveling train.

I claim:

1. A coal loading apparatus comprising a coaling station, a coal vessel suspended in the station and adapted to be lowered to discharge its contents, means for holding the vessel in elevated position, means on the moving train for discharging the coal into the tender of the locomotive while the train is moving and means for raising the vessel out of the way of the passing train after said vessel has discharged its contents.

2. A coal loading apparatus comprising a vessel for containing coal, means for suspending said vessel above the line of a passing train, means on the tender of a l-ocomotive for tripping the suspending means of the vessel and discharging its contents into the tender as the train passes the coaling station, and means for retracting or elevating the coal vessel immediately after it is discharged.

3. In a coal loading apparatus, the combination of a vessel for containing coal, means for suspending said vessel, means for tripping said suspending means, and means for adjusting the tripping means for discharging the coal at the required time, depending upon the speed of the moving train.

4. A coal loading apparatus comprising a vessel for containing coal, bottom members pivoted Within said vessel, means for holding the bottom members closed for supporting the coal, levers pivoted to the outer sides of the vessel, means for supporting the vessel in an elevated position, means on a tender of a moving train for tripping the suspending means of the vessel, and means for discharging the coal and returning the vessel to its elevated position.

5. In a coal loading apparatus, the com-v bination of a vessel, a rod for suspending said vessel, a spring for sustaining the Weight of the vessel and returning it to an elevated position, means for holding the loaded vessel in an elevated position, an operating rod connected to said means, a trip lever mounted on the tender of a moving train for actuating said operating rod, and permitting the vessel to descend to a discharging position, and means for raising the vessel out of the vvay of the moving train.

G. In a coal loading apparatus the combination of a vessel, a suspending rod for said vessel, a spring for raising the vessel When emptied, means for holding said vessel suspended When loaded, said means comprising a forked lever for engaging the suspending rod, an operating rod pivotally connected to said forked lever, a trip lever connected to the tender of a moving train for actuating said operating rod, pivoted bottom members in said vessel, spring bolts for holding said bottom members in closed positions, a lever pivoted at the sides of said vessel, a ring surrounding said vessel for operating said levers, said vessel being provided vvith key hole slots, feet on said levers for carrying said bolts dovvnvvard into line ivvith the enlarged portions of said key hole slots, and spring bolts for returning the bolts on the bottom members after the discharge of the coal.

7. In a coal loading apparatus, the combination of a vessel provided With hinged bottom members, spring bolts for holding said members closed, said bolts being provided With reduced outer ends, said vessel provided With key hole slots for said bolts, levers pivoted to the outer sides of said vessel, said levers comprising diverging members having curved upper ends, a ring Within Which said vessel is suspended, said ring engaging said levers for operating the bottom members and spring bolts for returning the parts to their original positions.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

HOWARD J. GILMORE.

Witnesses ADOLPH SoHoENr-IERR, SUNAN STERNBERG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, ID. C. 

